Proposal Game
by alexandriaZ
Summary: David Rossi considers himself an expert in the game of marriage proposals. Fix-It story for the season eight finale.


_**Authors' Note/ This takes place after the team leaves the police station and head to the hotel in the season eight finale. Please ignore the rest of episode 23 and forget 24.**_

_**Considering she died on a city bench onscreen, I wanted to turn that bench into something happy.**_

_**Criminal Minds is not owned or operated by me. If that were true Erin Strauss would still be alive onscreen. May she continue to live on in Fan Fic. That said, Criminal Minds is owned by CBS and their affiliates.**_

**This story was written for cmguysgirl I borrowed this prompt fromher wonderful forum called **_**You Give Me fever**_.

**NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at the ProfilerChoiceAwards2013 Forum. All rules and information are on the forum. Nominations are due October 31st. All entries with ten or more categories filled out are eligible to win one of two Amazon gift cards!**

David stepped on the elevator bound for his hotel room, Erin was probably waiting for him if the looks she gave him back at the police station were anything to go by. For someone who wasn't ready to declare their relationship, she was forward tonight. Even JJ picked up on it, he grinned and stuck his hand in his pocket, of course JJ picked up on it. But it didn't matter, he didn't care who knew about it. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops like kid with a crush the first time they kissed. Now the velvet box bounced against his fingertips as he got off the elevator, tonight was the night.

He was somewhat of an expert in the game of marriage proposal but after this, that game was over and he couldn't wait.

It only took him half his life, but he was finally ready to give her the commitment she deserved. But it wasn't just commitment, she understood the pressures of his job, hell, part of her job was adding to it. He forced her to prove her points instead of being an unwitting puppet for the Director. She helped shape him into the profiler he became. But when they left the Bureau behind, they had something special. Each knew the right buttons to push on the other. He could make her scream in frustration, or laugh in happiness in the space of an hour. He didn't need to tell her that something was bugging him, chances were good that she already knew. For two people who didn't let people in, that was exceptional.

'_Now to tell her that.'_ He thought, as he scanned the key pass on the door and let himself into the room. He could barely make out her silhouette in the shadows, and his heart slowed in disappointment, she was in bed asleep.

"Honey, I'm home," he muttered, toeing off his shoes he dug blindly in his go-bag for clean clothes before walking into the bathroom. He heard a faint splash and he flipped on the light.

"Welcome home." Her legs dripped water over the side of the tub, he dropped his clean clothes on the floor and hurried to undress.

"You what sounds good?" David said, they were laying on the bed, scantily clothed. Erin's head rested on his chest with his arm wrapped around her. The ring still sat in his jacket pocket, he didn't want to propose to her right after sex. He'd gone that route with wife number three, it was cheap back then and cheap wasn't how he wanted to start his marriage to Erin.

"What?"

"New York Style pizza."

Erin pulled herself out of his embrace and got out of bed. David watched her pull on a pair of yoga pants and a jacket.

"If you want something, you have to go get it," she said, throwing him a flirty smile.

He grinned and got out of bed, digging through his go-bag, he said, "We could have some delivered, if you don't want to go out."

She shook her head,"Get dressed, David."

"This is New York,"he reminded her.

"I know that, but we don't have leave here until noon. Alex and Agent Jareau said something about wanting to get their hair done before we head back and Aaron can have his vacation. So, we're free to do whatever we want."

David raised his eyebrow, the devil must be building snowmen right now, he didn't think he'd see a time when Erin was willing to let the team bend the rules.

"You do know that this is against regulations, right?"

Instead of speaking, she grabbed his hand and pulled his face down to meet hers, "So is this." She captured his lips with hers in a sweet kiss, fuck regulations, fuck the FBI she'd spent half her life trying to chase something that she didn't really want. And it cost her everything, the respect of her children, her marriage, branding her a bureaucratic bitch. It wasn't worth it anymore.

Their lips parted and David had to catch his breath, their foreheads touched and he ran his fingertips down her cheek. Making her smile, "You know I love you, right?"

"The feeling is mutual," she said, tugging him towards the door.

"Hang on a second, I left my jacket in the bathroom." He picked up the jacket and discreetly pulled the box from the pocket and into his jeans. Then he let her lead him outside into the busy night.

They hailed a cab and rode until they came across a pizza joint the neon in the window boasted that they were open all night. And had the Best Baked Goods On The Block. David paid the cabbie; "Stay there," he told Erin before exiting the car,

"Come on, Buddy, we're blocking traffic," the driver grumbled David slipped a fifty over the seat before he walked around the car and opened the door for Erin.

He held out his hand and led them into the restaurant, the place seemed a little too crowded. Too many loud drunk college students occupied most of the round tables. The kid behind the counter wore a name tag saying his name was James. James shook his head at a particularly loud group of twenty-somethings in the corner. Napkins surrounded the floor around their table and a slice of pizza lay underneath it.

"I can make you pizza to-go, any way you want it," he offered, pulling a white apron off the hook behind him. David cast a quick look at James, he obviously had some Italian heritage. Dark eyes, dark hair and a wiry build he looked about twenty-five.

He looked at Erin, "Let's do that," she said, walking up to the counter. They ordered a large New York Style with sausage, mushrooms, and pepperoni with extra cheese. James pulled out the dough to toss the crust, "Could I see how you do that?" David asked, looking towards Erin.

She smiled, and shook her head, "You're on your own."

"Uh, sure." He hesitated before leading David behind the counter.

James stared at David for a moment and said, "You don't really want to know how to throw pizza crust do you?"

David grinned and shook his head, "No, see, I'm trying to propose to her-"

James raised his eyebrows, "You don't want me to write 'Marry Me' with pepperoni do you?"

"Well, that's what I was thinking." David ran his hand down his goatee, the fourth time should have been the easiest.

James shook his head, "Cheesy, really overdone-"

"I'll give you a hundred dollars, right now if you can help me out."

James's eyes went wide, "You're serious?"

David pulled out his wallet and pulled out a bill, "Here."

"It might take a minute, do you have the ring?" James asked as he pocketed the money.

David pulled the box from his pocket and James threw flour on his shirt, "So she doesn't get suspicious, you would be surprised at how many guys blow their cover because they don't stick to the story," he explained.

David nodded in thanks and walked back around the counter.

* * *

"Don't drop this," James said, passing David a bag from across the counter. David took it and James whispered, "It's the one on top, I hope she says yes."

"Thanks."

* * *

"What do you want to do tonight?" David asked, as they walked down the sidewalk and he discreetly searched for a place to complete his mission.

"What do you mean?" They stopped walking and she turned to face him they were already doing something. They'd left the hotel to get pizza and now they were on their way back what else was there to do?

"Well, we haven't had a real date in I don't know how long, so let's take the opportunity while we've got it."

"We've had plenty of dates, you took me to a movie last week-"

He held up his hand to silence her, "Which I had to leave during the middle of, Erin, we've got an entire city at our fingertips and enough money to explore it. What do you want to do?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to explore the city, let's head back to the hotel."

"Okay, we're maybe a block away, just do something for me."

"What?"

David sat the bag down on an empty bench and pulled out the top box, the size of an extra large pizza. He lifted the lid revealing two squares of heart-shaped brownies each one sprinkled with edible silver glitter. The square on the right had the word 'no' painted on the cardboard in the middle. The square on the left had another brownie in the middle with the a fresh-cut strawberry on top. The engagement ring stuck out of the strawberry.

"Check yes or no."

Erin lost her voice and shameless tears stung her eyes, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. They hadn't talked about marriage, she never gave it a single thought. With four failed marriages between them she assumed they would keep going as they were. Maybe they were both too afraid of getting hurt or hurting each other. But when the question was asked, the answer was obvious.

"Yes." She whispered, a few stray tears landed on his shoulder.

He smiled and tightened his grip around her, "Yes, what?" He teased, he just wanted to hear her say it. Suddenly he needed clarification, was she saying yes to being his wife and sharing their life together through bad days and hot tempers? When the strain of his job took its toll on him, would she be there to try to understand when so many others weren't? Was she agreeing to let him help her in keeping her sobriety? Was she?

She knew what he meant, even through his teasing tone his heavily guarded insecurities, were coming to light.

She pulled away and put her hands on either side of his stubbly face,"Yes, David Rossi, I'll marry you. We'll share our lives and probably want to end each others, at some point. But I'll be here until the bitter end."

He chuckled, "Well, alright then, here's to not killing each other." He brought her lips into a soft kiss before pulling away to grab the ring and sliding it in its proper place.

She smiled, "Well we've survived this long, what's one more lifetime?"

He took her hand and entwined their fingers, "Ready to head back?"


End file.
